Frederick

[quote user="You can call me Betty"]I've had one of these for the last two years, on a contract with Bouygues. When I got it, it was (and still is) €9.90 a month "sans engagement" and the principal reason I got it was because I don't have a sim card slot on my ipad. The signal is fairly dire. Varies a lot with atmospherics and whereabouts in the house I use it. That's confirmed by my UK phone, which chooses the best network connection and swaps between Orange and Bouygues all the time. Connecting even a couple of devices to it and making any attempt to use them at the same time slows them down still further, and a lot of the time I might as well be on dial-up. Experience has taught me to do the stuff I really need to do at certain times of day when the signal and speed is bearable. I get a monthly data allowance - which doesn't roll over - but if I exceed that, I can still connect, it's just slowed down. Which, when the "fast" connection is already so slow, is beyond painful. [/quote] Good to know . C M B .Thank you for the information     That is a mind changer for me .Looks as if I might have wasted my money given  location  signal probs as well     Thanks for your post.. I will stick with the  free WiWF offered in the bar / cafe 's

Well if this map is anything to go by my road is a bit dodgy for G3 coverage .... Interesting for showing cover if anybody else wants to check out their place ! http://www.sensorly.com/map/2G-3G/FR/France/Free/gsm_20814#q=Vendee%2C+France  

[quote user="tinabee"]We have the Orange-badged version of the Huawei device (called a Domino) which I bought as a backup as we only have Wimax to the house. It is great to use when travelling and on holiday but totally useless as a backup at home as, I have discovered, we only have 2G here in the middle of nowhere :) Still, I bought it online from the Orange boutique and it was less than half the price of the shop version.[/quote] Thank you for your post TB.... I think I had better put the purchase on hold until I find out more about the cover we have ... Appreciate all the replies  many thanks .

Thanks for the replies... I shall have to find out if 3 or 4 G  ...  I have a Lycamobile  fr sim I use for calls in a mobile phone ... That is not expensive and just for emails  a couple of times a week I  wondered if there was a similar pay as you go one for just for data in  these things ?

Can anybody tell me who provides the best value  French data only sim that goes into these devices .I am thinking of getting one as they provide WiFi for up to 8 devices some of them as I have ditched FT  and Orange Broadband  at the house . Are they easy to set up ?...I rather like gadgets that search and  connect themselves as in France I have not got a 14 year old on hand to deal with the technical  stuff  .These are the things I had in mind . http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1311.R6.TR11.TRC1.A0.H2.Xmifi&_nkw=huawei+mifi&_sacat=0&_from=R40  

[quote user="andyh4"]You may well be right Frederick, but in just how many ways do these people differ from say BNP or extreme UKIP representatives or in France NF? Or any other extremist party, lest I be held as a pinko. I have heard over the last few days many references to N a z i sympathisers stirring it up in the Ukraine. This makes me wonder just how many real supporters from ww2 are still alive, having survived the war, Stalin's purges and have lived on to reach probably at least 85 years of age and are now stirring up trouble - probably both of them dribbling into their vodka in a bar in Odessa. I think the slur is being used simply as a propaganda ploy to discredit anyone of a nationalist disposition in the Ukraine. After nearly 95 years of Russian "Friendship and Federation" since the revolution, is it any surprise that there are nationalists?[/quote] This  lot do not  remind  me of the BNP or France NF or extreme UKIP  .These people mean business and there are a lot of them . They seem in my opinion to be expecting they can make changes ... But just WHAT changes ... who will suffer if they get their way ?  No Doubt the other European nationalists  will want some of the same if they see these Svoboda  people come out on top . http://vimeo.com/51396863 Putin has shown he will stand by the Russian speakers  and has let everyone know he means business .  In my opinion he has an opportunity to play the good guy  now .  He could offer to put some of his troops in blue helmets .Ukraine could do the same  and under a joint command  headed by UN appointed Generals  they could keep the peace and  both  sides save face . That could take the steam out of this  while the  situation calms down and they get a government that all sides are happy with and make sure the extream nationalists don't do something stupid with weapons .

Did the aggression not come from within ?....I believe there are in  excess of 30 elected members if the Ukraine parliament who were put there by some pretty nasty right wing groups . These groups took big advantage of the riots and have  gained  power and it seems that whatever voted decree comes out of the parliament they will kill it straight away if it does not go their way.Such is their influence now .  They seem to want to look  back to and follow the way the N a z i party gained a hold over Germany i the 1930's  . Who wants these characters on the loose in Europe again ?. We have enough of our own lurking  in the background and kept there ... If Russia's show of strength at the moment makes them and others think twice and result in a new elected government for Ukraine that is going to work as we all expect it to .....Then we may  just end up being thankful Putin took the action he did .

[quote user="woolybanana"]Well, that was a bouncy old night, plenty of strong rafales and giboulles with some thunder but wobbly doggy stayed in his bed; seems the high tides driven by the wind are now a problem with danger times this evening round 1800hrs and perhaps tomorrow morning. All calm windwise at the moment but there may be a bit more to come.[/quote] Glad you had a reasonable night and the hounds OK .... I lost mine during a big thunder storm... from fright  I think heart gave out  .   We seem to have chosen to put ourselves in a lovely part of France  that throws  a curved ball when it comes to weather at times .... Your post is reminding me of  Hurricane  Xynthia  27th of Feb 2010... the aftermath of which we will never forget  so I hope they have done a good job fixing the retaining  wall ! .

The UK helicopters are funded by donations  from people in the community who go out of their way to raise the money to keep them in the air . I have found that people who connected with horses give them huge support. Its likely you will need one if thrown  as in most cases it will be well away from vehicle access ...Are there any in  France that are or would likely be supported by  public donation being  "charity  registered  "  or whatever the French for a registered charity is ?  I have seen one used for a medical emergency in France but it appeared to be a blue police or coastguard thing and not  like the ones the ambulance service use in the UK .

I hear the J F K look for young  men is now "in "   . The parted John Kennedy hair..... the clothes ... My grandson  went off to UNI a much loved but scruffy looking kid  ... Now that,s in the past and and he has landed a management job with an international company . Its blazer and suites  and raiding my tie rack.... Thank you John Kennedy  !!!!

Now add Gordon Brown to all the other's that the SNP have been saying do not  know what they are talking about and will have to back down http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10646056/Gordon-Brown-warns-Scots-independence-means-losing-British-state-pension.html

I take it the date in March  2016 has been chosen  for historical reasons by Mr Salmond . Regardless of the ability of others given the shortage of  time  to put a workable change over in place ?   Can this be done in the time scale he wants  ?

[quote user="Frederick"][quote user="idun"]I heard a scottish MP or a bloke with some such post on the telly this afternoon saying that Scotland had been a member for the EU for 40 years and so should not be treat like a newcomer. I am sure that even in Scotland, people know what divorce entails and that, for better or worse, it is a new start with new rules. So if they want a divorce so be it. Ofcourse, if the £ no longer exists as daily currency in Scotland and Scotland is not a member of the € either they will have to have a new currency.  Would we have a proper border again at Berwick and would there be a new Hadrian's Wall, maybe a very new Cameron's Wall............oops, that sounds rather scottish to be honest. [/quote] Which raises the point .....If your money is with a bailed out bank with its HQ in Scotland..............Would you close your account and switch to one with its HQ in England if they vote yes ?  Then there is this ..................... another thing the SNP say  "will never happen "    http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/politics/scottish-independence-rbs-would-quit-edinburgh-1-3295676 [/quote] The link is not opening for some reason THE Royal Bank of Scotland and the 3200-strong workforce at its Gogarburn headquarters were today at the centre of the latest row over independence after Business Secretary Vince Cable claimed the bank would “inevitably” relocate its HQ to London after a ‘Yes’ vote. Mr Cable told a committee of MPs that RBS, founded in Edinburgh in 1727, would want to be in the same country as the lender of last resort – the Bank of England. But the SNP has branded his comments “ridiculous”. RBS was bailed out by taxpayers after it came close to collapse in the 2008 banking crisis and is still 80 per cent publicly-owned. It employs 12,000 staff in Scotland, At Westminster’s business innovation and skills committee, Glasgow North East Labour MP Willie Bain asked what RBS might do if the Bank of England was no longer its “lender of last resort”. Mr Cable replied: “I think if you were managing RBS you would almost certainly want to be in a domicile where your bank is protected against the risk of collapse. “I think they already have a substantial amount of their management in London and I would have thought that inevitably they would become a London bank.” Edinburgh Western SNP MSP Colin Keir dismissed the comments as “another example of the usual scare stories”. He said: “Even once the UK Government in finished with it, RBS will be a global player. Its headquarters are here, it does a lot of business in London and all around the world. There is no reason for it to shift its headquarters. “Vince Cable is a Liberal Democrat and a unionist – he will paint the darkest picture possible for anything. But their doom and gloom stories are one of the reasons the ‘Yes’ campaign is picking up momentum.” Edinburgh West Lib Dem MP Mike Crockart said if an independent Scotland were able to agree a full monetary union with the rest of the UK, there would be no reason for RBS to move headquarters. But he said different banking regulations north and south of the border could force its hand. Mr Crockart said: “There would be a pull for banks in Scotland to move their headquarters south, where they will gain from the stability of the regulatory system that’s already in place.” An SNP spokesman said: “Vince Cable’s ridiculous comments are at odds with the common sense remarks from RBS’s chief executive, who last week said that if they had to operate in 39 countries around the world rather than 38, that is exactly what they would do. “Mr Cable has unwittingly highlighted exactly why polls show the vast majority of people in the rest of the UK would expect the Westminster Government to agree to a currency union with Scotland.” RBS said: “We don’t support political parties or political movements. We will respond to what voters decide and governments agree.”

[quote user="idun"]I heard a scottish MP or a bloke with some such post on the telly this afternoon saying that Scotland had been a member for the EU for 40 years and so should not be treat like a newcomer. I am sure that even in Scotland, people know what divorce entails and that, for better or worse, it is a new start with new rules. So if they want a divorce so be it. Ofcourse, if the £ no longer exists as daily currency in Scotland and Scotland is not a member of the € either they will have to have a new currency.  Would we have a proper border again at Berwick and would there be a new Hadrian's Wall, maybe a very new Cameron's Wall............oops, that sounds rather scottish to be honest. [/quote] Which raises the point .....If your money is with a bailed out bank with its HQ in Scotland..............Would you close your account and switch to one with its HQ in England if they vote yes ?  Then there is this ..................... another thing the SNP say  "will never happen "    http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/politics/scottish-independence-rbs-would-quit-edinburgh-1-3295676

How on earth did one man come to have so much say over such  an important decision for the peoples of Scotland ?.. The man  from what I have read about him seems to be in denial that his dream of being a "President  " of Scotland  is slipping away from him .  All party leaders  the head of the Bank of England and now the EU have all pointed out that his statements regarding what he is saying  WILL  happen will NOT happen.  Yet he thinks he is so powerful he can  convince the Scots he can control them all . As for threatening not to pay Scotland's debt share unless he get's his way .. He is like a kid running off the field  with the ball saying  "its mine " determined to ruin the game for all.... He has not been appointed to the post of  no doubt what will turn out to be  "  Dictator  " for  Scotland  yet and lets hope he never is ..

[quote user="Frecossais"]Thanks for that Frederick, I thought that parts of France and all the way to Denmark would be affected from some of the weather maps. You realise just how insular our news and weather reports are, and I mean all countries, not only ours. I know we're first and foremost concerned for ourselves, families and friends in extreme conditions, but I'd be interested in freak weather reports from all round the world. Is that a google translate? [/quote] Hi   Frecossais   It is a google translate..... Not a perfect one......... They come up with "Britain" in France at times .   

[quote user="Frecossais"]Is northern France experiencing the storms and excessive rain that are hitting UK? [/quote] http://www.ouest-france.fr/tempete-ulla-les-intemperies-ont-fait-un-mort-et-des-degats-1933611 Yes they  are  ! Death, 100,000 homes without electricity, winds 150 km / h and blocked travelers: it is the result of the storm last night. Relive the day and evening on Friday. Three departments of the West of France - Brittany, Loire-Atlantique, Morbihan, were always placed in amber alert "wave-submersion," published at 4:15 by Météo-France newsletter which recorded the night winds to 150 km / h at the tip of Brittany. The end of the event for these three departments is planned for this Saturday at 10:00. One dead and one injured in a boat An octogenarian died Friday aboard a ship sailing off the UK after a fall caused by bad weather hitting the Northwest paysUne woman on board the same ship was evacuated by helicopter to the also result from a fall, said the maritime prefecture of the Atlantic. Winds In the night "maximum values ​​recorded during the stormy episode were of the order of 140 to 150 km / h to the point of Brittany and from 130 to 135 km / h north of Brest-Morlaix line, the part of the Finistère to the south of this line, had values ​​between 102 and 110 km / h ", according to Météo France. The strong wind began to blow in the day, was plunged into darkness nearly 100,000 homes in Britain , according to Electricité Réseau Distribution France (ERDF). Some 50 000 households were affected at 19.30 in Finistère, 40,000 in the Côtes d'Armor, Morbihan in 4000 and 1000 in Ille-et-Vilaine. Interrupted rail traffic The rail traffic between Rennes and Brest was interrupted , according to SNCF, which has been estimated at some 2,000 the number of travelers affected by this precautionary measure. In addition, almost all flights were canceled at airports in Brest, Lorient and Quimper. In Finistère, particularly affected, firefighters had led in the early evening over 500 interventions, mainly due to falling trees. The maritime prefecture of the Atlantic reported the loss of 70 containers off Brittany by a ship of the Danish company Maersk. "Looks like there is no end" There was early evening 40 cm of water on the banks of Quimper, in the prefecture of Finistère, and light spills in Morlaix and Landerneau. In addition, many roads have been cut off due to flooding. A Brest he fell from 15 December 636 mm of rain, a record, according to Météo France. Winds, downpours, hail, waves, floods, power outages, damage along the coast: in Finistère, particularly affected, weather leave no respite to the people from the beginning of winter. "We can not get out of bad weather, it upsets the life," testified Lescoat Michele, a resident of Quimper, where floods Laïta succeed. "Looks like there is no end" noted the sixties, recently stayed several days without heating or hot water because of repeated flooding. "We had a succession of disturbances since the beginning of winter with a little stormy episodes," admits Nathan Frederick, forecaster at Météo-France, highlighting the intensity of "Ulla", the current disruption. "We have here on the tip of Brittany, the highest since the beginning of the winter storm, "he says, before announcing next week a" respit

[quote user="sweet 17"]What upsets me (of course, on top of all that's been discussed) are pictures of cows, horses, sheep etc having to be herded into trucks which themselves are being driven with difficulty across flooded fields and roads.[/quote] It would appear the response from the farming community in the UK to the Somerset situation has been very good.  Feed  donations from farmers has been provided to animals who are being documented  and moved through markets .Then on into the hands of farmers who can provide temporary dry land  for them  Good news for the  stressed  cows that have been standing in the wet  for a long time ....... It shows that when things get really serious there are a lot of good people out there with big hearts  who step up when needed and do not count the cost.

The place I visit for coffee while waiting for patients at Milford Hospital  got a battering from the sea last night . It sits below a huge shingle bank  and a couple of weeks ago I asked the owner if the shingle had come over the top and he told me he had some come over.... It seems fist size pebbles were flying  this time ........ http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/11013710.Valentine_s_Day_diners_rescued_from_Milford_on_Sea_restaurant_after_windows_shattered_by_flying_rocks/?ref=var_6

Have BF come up with a good way of taking dog owner passengers onto their ships from other carriers with the dog friendly cabin idea.? Or will we soon be reading  on here posts from flea bitten passengers  due to dogs on beds ? Personally ....although I like dogs . I like them off beds   I  hope if the ferry is  busy they do not give me a designated dog friendly cabin  if they have unbooked ones ...

Spending  as much time as I do in an area of forest I have noticed many trees leaning  now . No doubt  the high water table is together with the high winds  the cause ,  Now when I have to  park my car near them I take a good look at the trees ....It you have to park under or close to trees check them out in case they are starting to lean .Like mine is to me ...I am sure your car is precious to you

The European Union Solidarity Fund has loads of money............Floods are what its there for 

http://mxm.mxmfb.com/rsps/wlnk/c/748/r/1379461/e/5521

Without holding back the Thames by sluices and the Thames Barrier holding back the tidal surges  this map shows what London would get. 

The Dutch are making noises to go in the same direction.....This might just spur them on